This invention relates in general to improvements in liquid clarifying apparatus and deals more particularly with improvements in existing clarifying or thickening apparatus and methods for increasing the effective capacity and/or performance of an existing clarifier or thickener. Clarifying apparatus of the type with which the present invention is concerned is used to separate suspended solids from liquids. A typical system may, for example, be used to clarify and recover waste process water and/or valuable solid waste material suspended therein. A conventional tank-type clarifier, which may be used in practicing the invention, may, for example, comprise a relatively large vessel or gravity settling tank for receiving effluent to be clarified and which may be conditioned with flocculents, in a manner well known in the art. The capacity of a conventional tank-type clarifier is a function of its surface area. Consequently, such clarifiers generally occupy considerable space. When it becomes necessary to increase the capacity or performance of such a system the usual procedure is to add one or more clarifying units to the existing system. However, such units are quite costly to purchase, install and maintain. Often, the space required to accommodate additional clarifying apparatus may not be available, even though expansion may be desirable.
Accordingly, it is the general aim of the present invention to provide improvements in liquid clarifying apparatus and more particularly improvements in existing clarifying or thickening apparatus and methods for increasing in the effective capacity and/or performance of an existing clarifying or thickening system without expanding or substantial altering of the existing system.